Make Your Choice
by nerdyperformer
Summary: A slightly alternate ending to Phantom, where Christine chooses her Angel of Music. A E/C oneshot story, based on ALW's musical.


_Happy belated birthday Clara. This is for you. _

I grabbed onto the sides of his face, and used all the strength I had to kiss him. I felt terrible, not only because I was betraying Raoul right in front of him, but because I felt that the kiss wouldn't make up for all the horrible things I had done to him; falling for Raoul when I knew he loved me, pulling off his mask and wig on stage. After everything he has done for me since I came to the Opera House, I've just let him done, over and over again. He was my Angel, my teacher, my everything; I needed his forgiveness.

The kiss was... strange. He was, obviously, inexperienced with kissing, as his lips didn't respond with mine. This could also be practically down to shock, from my sudden act of love towards him. His pulled-up lip bothered me less than I thought it would; I thought it would be horrible and feel unusual, but I barely noticed it. In a strange way, I could even call it nice. I broke the kiss, and wrapped my arms around him, hugging him as tight as I possibly could. I could feel his hands hover by my waist and the side of his head rubbing mine. I was his cry that did it; I heard him swallow back a cry, and my heart ached for him. I didn't only need his forgiveness. I needed _him._

I moved away from him and looked up into his eyes. _Those pleading eyes, that both threaten and adore. _They stared into my soul, and filled me with the same happiness as his voice did. With more confidence, I reached up again, put my lips against his, and melted into him. Instead of crushing my lips against his, I let them move freely. This time, he responded back; he kissed me back and sheepishly put his hands on my back, pulling me in. Our lips parted and he slid his tongue in to my mouth. It wasn't as unattractive as it sounds. All the times Raoul did it to me, I broke the kiss, because it felt so strange and wrong. With Erik, it was different. Instead of sticking his tongue forcefully down my throat, he teased mine, making me want to do nothing but have him ravish me right there and then. I moved a hand up to stroke his distorted cheek and I felt him flinch, then move both of his hands from my back; one to join my hand on his cheek, the other to my own face. This kiss was my way of telling him that I had made my choice.

He pulled away, and I began to feel terrified; had I done something wrong? Were both of those kisses out of line? Even the smallest of things could change his mood or aggravate him; I just hoped that my expression of love hadn't crossed a line. He stared down at me, his eyes full of love and sorrow. He stroked my hand and walked, slowly, towards his organ, wiping a tear as he went. He sighed, picked up one of the many candles on his organ and lit it. His crazed eyes bore into mine, as my mind searched for clues for what he might do next. Slowly, he wandered over to where Raoul was trapped in his lasso, and my panic rose. Terror took me as my Phantom stared at terrified face, before he screamed and burnt the rope with the candle, letting Raoul fall to the floor.

"Take her. Forget me. Forget everything." He pushed Raoul towards me, and I almost cried knowing that he was safe again. Raoul whipped around in my arms to face the Phantom again, and started towards him.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" My Angel screamed out to the forever closer mob, exhausted and broken. "Forget all you've seen. Go, don't let them find you." He whimpered, sounding like he might cry.

"Raoul!" I shouted as I tried to hold my fiancée back from hurting my Angel. "He's letting you go! Come on!"

"He tried to kill me, Christine! That monster will pay!" His harsh word's hurt me; despite the terror he caused, this Phantom was no monster, but my Angel of Music.

"Raoul!"

"Take the boat! Swear to me never to tell-" My Angel's words were cut off by the chants from the mob. _Track down this murder! He must be found!_ They sounded dangerous close. I had to get Raoul to safety, then back to my Angel to leave with him. "-of the secrets you know-"

"Let me go, Christine! I'll kill him!" Raoul's rage frightened me. He was serious about killing him. I pulled Raoul back, and pushed against his chest towards the boat.

"Raoul, please! For me! Let us leave!" Raoul finally go into the boat, reluctantly, and picked up an oar. The second that it touched the water, we heard a heart breaking, soul splitting scream from the organ. _"-OF THIS ANGEL IN HELL!"_ I turned to see my Angel, my poor, broken Angel, huddled on the floor, with his hands over his ears, whimpering. "Wait." I ordered to Raoul, as I started to try and leave the boat, ignoring Raoul's attempts to stop me going ashore.

Upon seeing me, my Angel screamed towards me. "Go! Please!" He ran towards me, as I felt Raoul tug on the wedding dress, so I fell back into the boat. "Go now and leave me!" My heart felt as if it been torn in two at the sight of my beloved Angel of Music, on his knees, crying loud and ugly sobs. We were almost at the mouth of his domain when I heard it; that sad tune, that tune that woke me up that night that my soul soared higher than ever. The monkey music box. I watched my Angel turn and huddle over too it, mimicking his hands to match the Persian monkey's cymbals.

"Raoul, wait." Raoul stopped the boat, and turned to me.

"Christine?" The love and concern in his voice and on his school-boy face brought me shame too know what I was going to leave behind.

"I need to go back. Please Raoul."

"No, Christine!" He almost yelled, freighting me more than my Angel's face ever did. "I won't let you go back there, to that- that monster." _Ouch._ "He won't ever let you go!"

"There's..." I looked down at the beautiful ring that was forced upon my finger a mere hour ago, and stroked it. "There's something that I need to put right." Looking up, I saw Raoul's disgusted and confused face, and I figured it best if I didn't tell him that I had made my choice. "I can't end things with him like this. He was, after all, my Angel of Music, my father, almost. Please Raoul." I took his hand and squeezed it. I felt terrible; Raoul was trusting me. Trusting me enough to sigh, let go of my hand and row us back towards the lair.

"I can't go any further, Christine." Raoul's strained voice spoke as we stopped about a meter away from the shore edge. When I turned to face him, his face looked as if he was in pain, or struggling. "If I take you to edge, I won't be able to stop myself from jumping out of the boat and killing him with my bare hands."

"I won't be a moment." I stood and kissed him on the cheek, almost lying to him that I only loved him. "Wait for me?" The water came half way up my calves, soaking the bottom of the dress and my beautiful _Don Juan_ boots that I adored so much.

My splash in the water didn't phase the Phantom one bit. As I crept further into the centre of the lair, and closer to him, I saw that he wasn't just mimicking the monkey now, but singing along to it's sweet melody.

"_Masquerade. Paper faces on parade. Masquerade. Hide your face, so the world will never find you."_

"Angel?" I whispered to the broken man, and he turned to face me. His cheeks were stained with tears, and the look on his face when he saw me was legitimate shock. He slowly rose to his feet, smiling sadly, as I stepped a little closer to him.

"Christine..." He shook his head, as if I had done something humorous. "I love you." My heart ached at this. I couldn't tell him the same, in case Raoul heard. Instead, I reached for his scarred hand and kissed it. When I looked up, we both started to cry. I pulled him into another hug, which this time his responded too.

"_Order your fine horses,"_ I sang softly into his ear, _"Be with them at the door. And soon you'll be beside me, you'll guard me and you'll guide me." _I kissed his ruined cheek, and pulled away. A mask of confusion and disbelief covered my Angel's face, so to answer it, I smiled and walked away. Half way to the boat_, _I looked back at him.

_Will you, Angel? _My mind asked him. He responded with a nod, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. I tried to hold back the tears of what I was doing; lying and leaving Raoul, dedicating the rest of my life to a crazed man, whom I loved. I felt terrible for doing it, but at the same time, I didn't regret anything. Yes, I was giving up my childhood sweetheart, but I was also giving up my old self; a new life. I wasn't going to fill any remorse.

"Raoul, come on. Let's get you back to the opera house." I sat back down in the boat, and Raoul started to row us away. He looked at my face, and noticed my wiping away a tear.

"I'm sorry, Christine. Truly, I am." He knelt down to my level, and stroked my face. "But just think, soon, this will all be over and we can live happily, just the way we want." He stood up again, and began to row again.

"Yes." I said sadly; he meant us. "Yes, we will." Turning back to face my Angel, I saw him pick up the veil I threw on the floor, and stroke it against his cheek. He caught my eye and smiled. He probably still couldn't believe that I was willing to spend the rest of my days with him. _"Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime..."_ I sang back to him.

"_Say the word and I will follow you..."_ Raoul had answered my song, instead. Another wave of guilt hit me. I smiled up at him, but turned my head slightly, back to my Angel.

"_Share each day with me, each night, each morning..."_ I couldn't see him anymore, for we had left the lair completely. I sighed; a lot had happened in the last hour that it all seemed to be a blur. Don Juan seemed like it had only happened a few moments ago.

"Track down this murderer, he must be found!" Around the corner, I heard the mob, and my heart froze. Meg fought against the water, as she made her and the mob made their way to the lair.

"Christine!"

"Meg!" I jumped back into the waist-deep water, and hugged her, more in an attempt to stop her.

"Are you alright?" She touched my cheek with her wet hand, smiling at me. She was still in her Don Juan outfit; a hat to hide he blonde curls and riding trousers. "He didn't hurt you, did he? Mother told me to be careful with him." As we exchanged words, the mob continued to shout, slowly moving around us, their torches waving.

"No! NO!" I shouted at both Meg and the crowd of angry men. "He's not there! He left! He's gone!" Not one man listened to my bluff. I had to keep him safe.

"Christine, get back in the boat!" Raoul shouted.

"No!" I yelled again. "I will not listen to you a moment longer, Raoul!" Meg had pulled out of my embrace, and had continued towards the lair. "Meg!" The water was freezing, and with the skirt on the dress, moving through the water to catch up with Meg was exhausting. "Meg, if you love me, you'd stop now! Don't hurt him!"

"Christine! It's because I love you that we've doing this." We had entered the lair again, with the distant sounds of the mob and Raoul behind us. "You're like my sister, and he has been plaguing your mind for years. You've been frightened for so long, and they're going to stop it." She walked up the steps to dry land.

We spotted him at the same time; he was hiding under a cloak, on his throne. You could see the outline of him underneath it. For a musical genius, that hiding spot wasn't.

"There he is!" Meg squealed, as she pulled her hat off of her head. She ran towards him and pulled of the cloak.

"Meg! Don't!" There was nothing I could do. I was still in the water, struggling with the dress. She didn't listen to me, of course. I fell onto the steps watching her. She froze and stared at the chair. _What? What is it? _Meg slowly moved out of the way, and I saw. He wasn't there. He was gone. He wasn't on the chair, beneath the cloak. All that was there was something white that could only be his mask.

Meg dropped the cloak and picked his porcelain mask. She studied it, before looking back at me. Slowly, I made my way up the steps, dripping wet, with a single tear rolling down my face. He was gone. He left me. I told him I was coming, but he left without me. I couldn't be angry though. I was too upset to be angry at my Angel of Music. I understand why he left; there was no way I could stop Meg or the mob. He saved his own life, because I couldn't.

Meg and I walked hesitantly towards each other, both of us with our eyes on the mask. Meg held out the mask to me, and I took it lovingly in my hands. I remember ripping this off his face six months ago. I remember ripping this off his face one hour ago. I fell too my knees the more I thought about him and the mask. Another tear fell from my eyes, and on to the mask. Every tear I shed will forever be his. I held the mask to my face, and caressed it with my cheek. I had to find him again, someday. I will, I know I will. I whispered something to him. Whether he was now, this was for him;

'_It's over now, the music of the night.'_

_**Fin**_


End file.
